Ukraine ‘targets’ Russians shooting at or from nuclear power plant

Saturday, August 13, 2022

Ukraine: Russians fire at or from a targeted nuclear power plant

Ukraine is targeting Russian soldiers who fire on an occupied nuclear power plant in the south of the country or use it as a base to fire on, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged accusations over several recent bombing incidents at the Zaporizhzhia facility, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Russian troops captured the station early in the offensive.

“Every Russian soldier who shoots at the factory, or shoots using the factory as cover, must understand that he becomes a special target for our intelligence agents, for our special services, for our army,” Zelenskyy said in an evening speech.

Zelenskiy, who gave no details, repeated accusations that Russia was using the plant as nuclear blackmail.

Civilians arrive in safer areas under the control of the Ukrainian army

Large numbers of civilians who have been internally displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine are being evacuated from areas controlled by Russian forces and traveling for days to reach safe facilities secured by the Ukrainian military.

An Anadolu Agency team filmed dozens of civilian vehicles arriving at a reception center near Zaporizhzhia, in the southeastern region of the country partially controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Civilians were only evacuated and granted safe corridors after receiving special permission from Russian forces.

Ukraine warns of new ‘provocations’ near occupied nuclear power plant

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency has warned of further Russian “provocations” at an occupied nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, while the exiled mayor of the town where the plant is located says that it had been the object of new bombardments.

Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov, who evacuated to Kyiv-controlled territory in April, wrote on Telegram that local residents informed him on Saturday of new Russian shelling towards the city’s industrial zone and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It was not clear if any shells had hit the factory floor.

Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations over several recent incidents of bombing Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, while the G7 group of nations have called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the plant.

Russia starts delivering additional gas to Hungary: Budapest

Hungary said Russia had started supplying additional gas to the EU member following a visit to Moscow in July by its foreign minister.

Hungary’s foreign ministry said trade talks with Moscow “resulted in an agreement”, which allowed Russia’s Gazprom to start deliveries on Friday “beyond the quantities already contracted”.

“It is the duty of the Hungarian government to ensure the security of the country’s natural gas supply, and we respect it,” ministry official Tamas Menczer said on his Facebook page.

Ukraine declares ‘fierce fighting’ in village Russia says it controls

Ukraine’s military command said “fierce fighting” was continuing in Pisky, a village in the east which Russia had earlier in the day declared to have full control.

“The occupiers are trying to break through the defense of our troops in the directions of Oleksandopol, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Maryinka and Pisky,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its nightly Facebook briefing.

“The fierce fighting continues,” he added.

Maltese-flagged vessel with Ukrainian grain docks in Italy

A Maltese-flagged vessel carrying 13,000 tonnes of maize has arrived at an Italian port, local media reported.

The Rojen ship docked at the port of Ravenna in the northern Adriatic Sea on Friday evening after leaving Chornomorsk, Ukraine, on August 5. The ship is expected to continue unloading its cargo until August 16, according to the Il Resto Del Carlino news site.

Other vessels carrying soybeans and crude sunflower oil from Ukraine are expected to arrive in Italy in the coming days. The ship was the first to arrive in Italy after the signing of the grain corridor agreement brokered by Ankara between Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations on July 22.

Russia blocks access to drugs: Ukraine

Ukraine’s health minister has accused Russian authorities of committing a crime against humanity by blocking access to affordable medicine in areas occupied by their forces since the attack on the country 5.5 months ago .

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko said Russian authorities have repeatedly blocked efforts to provide state-subsidized drugs to residents of occupied towns and villages.

“During the six months of war, Russia has not (allowed) proper humanitarian corridors so that we can provide our own medicines to patients who need them,” Liashko said, speaking Friday evening at the Ministry of Health. Health in Kyiv.

Two road bridges to Russian-occupied territory out of use

The two main road bridges providing access to the pocket of Russian-occupied territory on the west bank of the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast are now likely out of use for substantial military resupply purposes, military intelligence said. British.

Even if Russia manages to carry out major repairs to the bridges, they will remain a major vulnerability, the UK Ministry of Defense said. “Ground resupply for the several thousand Russian troops in the West Bank almost certainly depends on just two pontoon ferry crossings,” the ministry said in an intelligence update.

With the supply chain limited, the size of the stockpiles Russia has managed to establish in the West Bank is likely to be a key factor in the force’s endurance, according to the update.

Russia claims full control of the village of Pisky in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Russian forces have taken full control of Pisky, a village on the outskirts of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Interfax quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying.

Russian and pro-Russian forces had reported that they had taken full control of Pisky more than a week ago.

The ministry also said Russian forces destroyed a US-supplied HIMARS rocket system near Kramatorsk in Ukraine and an ammunition depot for the system, Interfax reported.

Russia says ties could sever over US statement on sponsoring terrorism

Russia has told the United States that bilateral diplomatic relations would be seriously damaged and could even be severed if Russia were declared a state sponsor of terrorism, Russian news agency Tass quoted a senior official as saying.

Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that if the US Senate succeeded in passing a law aimed at isolating Russia, it would mean that Washington had passed the point of no return, Tass said. .

Zelenskyy: EU should ban entry to wealthy Russians

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a fresh appeal to European Union states to ban visas for Russian nationals to prevent the bloc from becoming a “supermarket” open to anyone who can afford to enter.

Zelenskyy said his proposal did not apply to Russians who needed help risking their freedom or their lives by resisting the policies of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

“There must be guarantees that Russian killers or accomplices in state terrorism do not use Schengen visas,” Zelenskyy said in a speech, referring to visas granting the holder access to the Schengen area. without borders which spans several EU states.

For live updates from Friday August 12, click here

Source: TRTWorld and agencies